A Dark and Stormy Knight
Five travellers of differing backgrounds and purposes all found themselves making for Hightower on the onset of one of the Inner Frontier's magickally wicked hail storms. A high mound set against the relative flatness of the surrounding landscape, it provided the only reasonable hope for shelter against weather that could easily have proven deadly. As the coldlands witch Eva approached the structure atop the high mound, she discovered that the heavy stone door that lead into the tower itself had a seal - a seal that was charred, broken, and obviously no longer holding the door shut against intruders. She entered first, only to find that the large room inside was dark (if weatherproof for the time being). On her heels came an unlikely duo: a half-elven ranger and a scruffy (and none too charismatic) dwarven fighter came in on her heels. Of course, they all discovered too late that the door swung shut just as easily as it swung open, and there was no handle on the inside! Stuck, they began to make awkward introductions. It was pretty obvious that Eva had rarely, if ever, seen non humans, and Rickan and Dorim made a strange sight. This was all made /much/ stranger when a very small figure (one Ailo Kickrock) flung the door open...followed by two panicked halfling pack ponies, still in their harnessing! Of course, by that point the others knew the door would shut on them, but they weren't able to keep the door from shutting behind them. Chaos ensued, before the door opened yet again: this time it revealed a massive, tall man who looked like nothing more than a barbarian. Luckily for everyone, he held the door open long enough for Ailo to wedge the door shut with some 'borrowed' silverware. Of course, the storm was still raging outside, and with one particularly nasty lightning strike, the entire tor shook, and the doors that had otherwise been impossible to open shifted. Unfortunately, this let out a stream of large vermin, who in their panicked state attacked the suddenly formed party. Introductions would have to wait, as the rodents panicked the ponies, and the fox that accompanied the human woman and the accidental adventurers had to deal with the half starved, entirely crazed beasts. Of course, after that, exploration was the obvious solution while the storm raged outside. They found far more than they anticipated, however, and had to overcome traps, a half-starved vargouille, and worst of all, the noble for whom Hightower had been built for in the first place. They also uncovered strange coins and stranger murals, implying that perhaps the great kingdom that had once built the monument had not been a human kingdom at all. Dorim, the dwarf, was quick to point out that collectors might be interested in the strange coins and helmet of the undead knight, and so it was agreed that once the party had recovered from the rigors of the tower, and the strange items identified, that they would continue on towards Duvik's Pass, the closest mountain pass headed into Taldor from the Inner Frontier. Encounters in this adventure: Hobgoblins, Outsiders, Spiders, Vermin, Undead, Traps, Weather Treasure: Studded Leather Armor (x2), Light Shield (x2), Dagger (x2), Short Sword (x3), Javelin (x2), Pearl (x2, 100gp ea), Small Ruby (150gp), 350 older gold coins (350gp), 75 ancient gold coins, Assorted Semi Precious Stones (90gp), Assorted small silver trinkets (50gp), Masterwork Longsword, Small Iron Chest, Helmet from Undead Knight Magic Items: Belt of Lifting, Pearl of Power (lvl 0), Headband of the Stout Heart, Translator's Ring